


I'll Never Find Another Monster

by g_odalisque13



Category: EXO (Band), Mamamoo, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Roller Derby, Bad Puns, Bisexual Character, Bisexuality, Drunk Sex, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Lesbian Character, Roller Derby, Romance, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-02-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 02:46:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6102238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/g_odalisque13/pseuds/g_odalisque13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baekhyun has no idea what she's getting into when she joins the roller derby team. A tiny jammer by the name of Kyungsoo (derby name Satan) body slamming into her and knocking the breath out of her within the first five minutes of practice isn't it</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Never Find Another Monster

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on September 25, 2015 on [LJ](http://g-odalisque13.livejournal.com/93350.html).

The sound of plastic wheels against wood was what greeted Baekhyun when she walked into the roller rink. She was twelve minutes early, but apparently she wasn’t the first one there.

The local roller rink was reserved for the Mad Mademoiselles on Tuesday nights from eight to ten for their practices, and this was Baekhyun’s first official one since passing the tryouts last week.

Baekhyun had never even considered roller derby until her friend from college, Jongdae, told her about it when they’d met for lunch to catch up a few months prior. Several videos on Jongdae’s phone, and Baekhyun had been intrigued enough to want to learn more.

 _Badass_. That was all Baekhyun could say as she’d watched the videos Jongdae showed her. Girls skating around a rink and trying to block or break through- sometimes getting knocked down and getting up like it was no big deal.

Then there were the cool tights or socks many of the girls wore, and the crazy makeup some of them applied for bouts. It was girls being utterly badass and dressing to express themselves, whether that was with no makeup and basic athletic clothes or wings painted on their face and fishnet tights.

It was fucking awesome and empowering and Baekhyun was clamoring to ask Jongdae when their next bout was so she could come to watch. And seeing them skate live had just convinced Baekhyun that this sport was something she wanted to be a part of. But was she capable of it? The girls were so athletic- so fast on their skates.

Jongdae was a jammer, the girl who tried to break through the other team's blockers to make it around the rink as many times as they could, and she was absolutely amazing. She was downright tiny compared to the blockers she was having to push through, but she seemed to do it almost effortlessly- darting between or around them, even leaping over a girl's feet at one point.

Could Baekhyun do anything like that? She hadn't even been on skates since that random mixer in college at a roller rink. And before that had been when she'd been in elementary school. But Jongdae told her that she should try. She'd even met Baekhyun at the roller rink a few times before the tryouts to help her practice.

Fortunately, Baekhyun had good balance and was relatively in shape. Moreover, she picked things up pretty quickly and she once she set her mind to something, she did whatever she could to reach her goal.

Still, she'd been surprised when she got the call, letting her know that she had made the team. Even though she'd felt pretty good about how tryouts had gone, she couldn't say that she was expecting to make the cut, especially on her first try.

But here she was, creeping into the eerily empty roller rink and hoping that she remembered the names of the girls who had beaten her there.

Coming up on the rink, Baekhyun saw three girls skating- Minseok, one of their bench coaches who was also one of the star blockers, Minjung, an impressive skater who thrived no matter what position she was in, and...Baekhyun couldn't remember the other girl's real name, but she remembered her derby name from seeing it on the back if her jersey when she'd skated in the bout Baekhyun had watched. Satan. It was a pretty memorable name. Jongdae had said that the petite jammer had earned it because she looked small and sweet, but she had a temper when she skated that had girls more than twice her size intimidated.

Minseok spotted Baekhyun first, skating over to her with a friendly smile.

"Welcome to your first practice," she greeted, stepping off the rink and onto the carpet. "Did you get your own skates, or do you need to borrow some?"

"I brought my own," Baekhyun told her, gesturing to her bag.

"Great," Minseok enthused, giving her a thumbs up. "You can just put those on and come start warming up."

Baekhyun nodded, returning the smile, but feeling kind of nervous. It wasn't often she was quiet, but she was intimidated. Especially since the three girls there were three of the best girls on the team. Baekhyun knew her skills were nothing compared to them.

But she followed Minseok's instructions, sitting on a bench to put her new skates on- glancing up to watch as the other girls skated around the rink, swerving and snaking and sometimes gliding on one skate for an entire lap.

By the time she’d fastened up her skates and was ready to go, a couple of the other girls had arrived.

Jongdae was among them.

“Ready for your first practice?” she asked brightly, throwing an arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders after she’d laced her own skates.

“I am,” she said, grinning. Her nerves were starting to fall away with the energy suffusing the air as the girls started warming up, and anticipation was beginning to simmer under her skin. She just wanted to get out there.

Baekhyun was able to follow along easily as they warmed up, and she enjoyed the more unique tricks that Gwiboon, their other bench coach, led them through. Baekhyun mostly stuck by Jongdae, until Jongdae decided she wanted to be a speed queen, and then she skated next to Jongin, the other new recruit, who shot her a smile when they both fumbled slightly at one of Gwiboon’s orders.

By the time Minseok and Gwiboon were calling for them to split into two teams to go against each other, Baekhyun was pumped and ready to show everybody that she’d made it onto the team for a reason.

She and Jongin were on different teams, but Jongdae was on Baekhyun’s team, gearing up to be their first jammer of the day.

As new recruits, Baekhyun and Jongin weren’t experienced enough to be jammers or pivots, the lead blocker who got more privileges than the rest of the blockers...Baekhyun really needed to read the rulebook more closely. She and Jongin were both going to be blocking for their respective teams- trying to keep the other team’s jammer from breaking through. The more blockers from the other team a jammer passed as they went around the rink, the more points their team got, so Baekhyun was determined to keep the other team’s jammer from getting by her.

Five people from each team went out for each jam, so of their fourteen players, only ten were skating at a time. Baekhyun and Jongin both sat the first jam out, watching the other girls and getting ready to step in.

“Is our new meat ready to give it a go?” Gwiboon asked, smile stretched across her face and pivot cover proudly worn over her helmet.

“Yep!” Baekhyun immediately replied, getting up from her seat and skating over to the other girls who were going out as blockers from her team.

Jongdae passed her jammer helmet cover to Seulgi and went to take a seat, giving Baekhyun a thumbs up as she skated by.

Gwiboon was the pivot for their team, Minjung was the pivot for the other team, and Satan (aka Kyungsoo, Baekhyun had been reminded) was the jammer for the other team.

Baekhyun had this. She totally had this. She was going to freaking kill it and be the best new meat they’d ever had.

Well…

She was going to be great, anyway.

The jam started and Baekhyun got ready to-

Baekhyun heard the sound her helmet made when it hit the ground- felt the impact as well. That was the ceiling she was looking at. And nope, she was not breathing air. Oh god she wasn’t breathing air. She was-

Baekhyun took a gasping, wheezing breath- coughing as she rolled onto her side to brace herself on the floor.

“Got the wind knocked out of you?” she heard above her, and yeah, that sounded right. But she couldn’t speak yet, still trying to remember how breathing worked, so she wasn’t able to respond in the affirmative.

“Baek? You okay?”

Jongdae’s voice and a warm hand on her shoulder.

Baekhyun pushed herself into a sitting position, looking to see Jongdae crouched by her with Gwiboon and Minseok hovering nearby- the rest of the girls watching her worriedly from a polite distance.

“Fine,” Baekhyun croaked out, not sure whether her ass, where she’d landed, or her pride stung more. “I’m fine.”

“Jesus, Soo,” Gwiboon complained as Jongdae and Minseok helped her up. “Try not kill the new meat on the first day!”

“Sorry,” Kyungsoo replied, mouth downturned and eyebrows furrowed.

Like this, she looked like the picture of innocence, but Baekhyun had managed to surmise that Kyungsoo had been the one to knock her flat on her back.

“So, do we re-start the jam, or what?” Baekhyun asked, trying to be upbeat even though she could feel her butt and elbows smarting where she’d made impact.

“You take a few to catch your breath and make sure you’re okay to practice, okay?” Minseok told her, leading her to an empty seat and urging her to sit down.

Baekhyun kind of wanted to argue- not wanting to be that girl who got hurt in the first ten minutes- but she knew that Minseok was right.

With a bruised ego and behind, Baekhyun watched the next few jams from her chair- trying to keep from beating herself up over taking a fall so immediately.

When she was given the go-ahead by Gwiboon and Minseok, Baekhyun skated in a jam and managed to stay upright the entire time. Though that might have been because Moonbyul was the opposing team’s jammer that time, and she appeared to be being careful not to further injure her.

Though she’d _somewhat_ redeemed herself, she felt like a idiot as she packed up to go home. That was _not_ how she’d imagined her first practice going.

Jongdae’s promise of a late burger and shake run cheered her up a little, but Baekhyun was still left asking herself what the hell she’d gotten herself into.

 

\---

 

“So what’d you think?” Jongdae asked, biting into a fry and resting her elbow on the red lacquer table. “How was the first practice?”

Jongdae and Chanyeol, another girl from the team, were looking at Baekhyun and waiting for an answer. Jongdae had wanted to invite Jongin as well since she was also new, but Lu Han, another teammate, had already been dragging her toward the parking lot and talking about tacos.

“Well, I ate floor and bruised my ass pretty good,” Baekhyun said with a snort, taking a drag from her thick milkshake.

“Yeah…” Jongdae allowed, looking a little worried. “But besides that?”

“It was fun,” she assured her, grabbing the ketchup bottle and dumping more on her plate. “I just feel kinda dumb.”

“Don’t feel dumb!” Chanyeol jumped in, reaching across the table to put a reassuring hand on Baekhyun’s arm. “We all fall all the time.”

“In the first second of your first jam?” Baekhyun challenged wryly.

“That was Kyungsoo’s fault,” Jongdae was quick to point out. “She shouldn’t have been going at you full force in the first second of your first jam. That was entirely unnecessary.”

“She didn’t mean to knock you over,” Chanyeol said, lips twisted and brows furrowed like she was worried that Baekhyun was going to think that Kyungsoo was actually satan.

Baekhyun was reserving judgment on that issue for a few more practices, at least.

“But what good am I if she can knock me over so easily?” Baekhyun argued, knowing that she was pouting over her burger, but unable to curb her disappointment in herself.

“She won’t be able to after you have more experience and learn techniques,” Jongdae pointed out, and Baekhyun had to agree. She hoped that would be the case, anyway.

“Everyone on the team is really nice,” Chanyeol told her, and Jongdae snorted. “What?” Chanyeol defended. “They are!”

“Nice isn’t the first word I’d use to describe Kyungsoo or Gwiboon, for example,” Jongdae explained. “Not that they _aren’t_ nice. They’re just both a little scary, in their own right.”

“I don’t think they’re scary,” Chanyeol argued with a frown.

“ _You_ clearly don’t have very good self preservation instincts,” Jongdae observed teasingly, and Chanyeol playfully swatted at her.

“So tell me about everyone,” Baekhyun urged. “And is the stereotype true? Are there lots of lesbians?”

“You’re such a horndog,” Jongdae accused with a laugh. “And it’s not like _you’re_ a lesbian.”

“I’m half-lesbian!” Baekhyun countered.

“Hey! Same!” Chanyeol exclaimed, holding out a hand for a high-five, which Baekhyun happily granted her with a grin.

“Ha! Out numbered!” Baekhyun taunted, and Jongdae rolled her eyes. “But you still haven’t answered.”

“There’s a mix,” Chanyeol offered.

“So Jongdae isn’t the only straight girl?” Baekhyun teased.

“No, I am not, thanks,” Jongdae informed her primly. “Boa is married and has a kid, for one,” she started. “And Minseok is engaged to her boyfriend.”

“Technically, Boa is bi,” Chanyeol corrected her around a mouthful of burger.

“Really?” Jongdae asked, looking surprised.

“Maybe you are the only straight girl,” Baekhyun snorted, but Jongdae ignored her.

“Lu Han has been with her boyfriend for forever,” Jongdae continued.

“Also bi,” Chanyeol piped up.

“Well, I knew _that_ ,” Jongdae defended. “And Joy is definitely straight.”

“So, everyone else likes ladies?” Baekhyun asked hopefully.

“Don’t know about the other new girl,” Jongdae said. “And I, for one, have _no_ idea about Kyungsoo. But maybe Chanyeol has something to offer on the subject.”

Chanyeol shook her head. “I actually don’t know either.”

“Moonbyul has been dating her girlfriend for a long time-”

“And her girlfriend is _gorgeous_ ,” Chanyeol cut in, shooting Baekhyun a meaningful look that had her giggling even as Jongdae ignored them both.

“Hwasa dates girls and guys she meets on Tinder, I think. And Seulgi is gay, but she’s totally in love with this woman she works with, so don’t bother hitting on her,” Jongdae said.

“Geez! I’m not asking so I can hit on everything with a pulse. I was just _curious_ ,” Baekhyun defended, sulking as she sucked up the last of her shake through her straw.

“ _Sure_ ,” Jongdae teased, and Baekhyun playfully bared her teeth.

“You didn’t tell her about Minjung and Gwiboon!” Chanyeol exclaimed, leaning forward with her elbows on the table.

“And rob you the joy of doing it?” Jongdae asked dryly, seeming resigned as she sat back in her chair and popped another fry into her mouth.

“Are they dating?” Baekhyun asked, intrigued.

“No,” Jongdae said, and Chanyeol huffed at her.

“Not that we know of,” Chanyeol admitted. “But there is definitely something between them.”

“Have they hooked up?” Baekhyun wanted to know, sitting up straight in preparation for some good, gay gossip.

“Dunno,” Chanyeol admitted, “but it wouldn’t surprise me if they had. They met at an LGBT meeting in college apparently, so they’ve had lots of opportunities. But either way, they’ve got so much sexual tension between them.”

Jongdae snorted, and Chanyeol shot her a betrayed look.

“Hey! I’m not the only one who thinks so!”

“Everyone _does_ kind of know that they have some _bond_ or whatever,” Jongdae allowed. “But Chanyeol is the only one who roots for them like she’s watching a romcom.”

Baekhyun tried to think if she’d seen anything between them during practice earlier.

“Didn’t they just bicker a lot today?”

“That’s what they always do,” Jongdae informed her.

“That’s how some people show affection!” Chanyeol insisted.

“ _True_ ,” Jongdae agreed, smirking in Baekhyun’s direction.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she whined, and Jongdae cackled.

“You’ll fit in just fine,” Jongdae said, reaching across the table to pat her hand.

 

\---

 

Going into the next practice, Baekhyun was a little less nervous, despite her spill the last time. At least she knew what to expect now. And she definitely knew not to get in Kyungsoo’s way.

“My butt is bruised,” Baekhyun announced as she was lacing up her skates after Moonbyul asked how she was doing.

“Welcome!” Chanyeol announced, throwing a long arm over Baekhyun’s shoulders. “You’ve been initiated.”

“Kyungsoo plows everyone over?” Baekhyun joked, and Gwiboon laughed loudly.

“Nah, but we all have bruises all the time,” Chanyeol explained, grinning at her. “Now you fit in.”

“Wonderful,” Baekhyun said sarcastically, but followed it with a laugh.

Practice went a lot better that week, since Baekhyun had a better idea of what she was doing. Baekhyun got the opportunity to get to know her teammates and how they worked together, as well as how the coaches ran the practices.

Aptly, Gwiboon’s derby name was BanSHE, because she never stopped yelling- her shrill voice filling the air with directions and encouragements and curses throughout the entirety of their practice.

Minseok was pretty much Gwiboon’s opposite. Quiet in nature, Minseok rarely raised her voice.

But while Gwiboon was all bark and no bite, Minseok was surprisingly strict if you pushed her too far.

They seemed to make a good team, and it felt as though the whole group fit together like that- filling in any gaps and creating a whole that worked together. Baekhyun hoped that she’d find her place soon.

“Hey,” Baekhyun heard from behind her, startling her as she took a drink from her water bottle during their break.

Turning around, she saw Kyungsoo standing there with a blank expression on her face. It was somewhat unnerving.

“Sorry about last week,” Kyungsoo said, not exactly sounding sorry, but also not _not_ sounding sorry either.

“Oh, uh, no worries!” Baekhyun replied, chuckling awkwardly. “I’m still alive, and stuff.”

Kyungsoo’s lips quirked, and Baekhyun felt a surge of accomplishment.

“I was watching you block when I wasn’t skating,” Kyungsoo went on, face a bit more animated, though not necessarily congenial. “You don’t always have to turn to face the jammer when she’s coming through. Your balance will be better if you’re skating forward, and you can block that way too.”

“Like, use my butt to block them?” Baekhyun asked playfully.

Kyungsoo’s lips quirked again, and she snorted softly. “Yes, exactly.”

“Get over here, lazy asses!” Gwiboon yelled, skating back onto the rink. “Time to start again!”

Kyungsoo raised her brows before turning and skating away, not even giving Baekhyun the opportunity to thank her for the tip.

Kyungsoo was kind of strange, that was for sure. But Baekhyun was pretty sure she wasn’t actually satan. Like, 74 percent sure.

 

\---

 

Baekhyun felt like she was noticeably improving over the course of the next few practices, and she was really starting to feel like she was part of the team. Every practice wasn’t a question mark, and she didn’t feel out of her depth when they simulated a bout.

Curiously, Kyungsoo giving Baekhyun advice wasn’t a one off. At least once during each practice, often when no one else was around, Kyungsoo suggested something Baekhyun could do to improve her technique.

“Do you know why Chanyeol broke through you guys that last time?” Kyungsoo had asked at their most recent practice, coming up to Baekhyun during their break.

“Because she’s a giant?” Baekhyun had guessed.

Kyungsoo had laughed. “That too, but you just dropped your arm as soon as she nudged you. You should hold your arm like this.”

Skating right next to Baekhyun, Kyungsoo had firmly pressed her forearm on top of Baekhyun’s.

“Don’t hook, because that’s a penalty, but don’t just let your arm flop like spaghetti as soon as you feel the jammer behind you.”

“No spaghetti arms,” Baekhyun had repeated, a little unnerved by the close proximity. “Got it.”

Kyungsoo had smiled and tugged on the end of Baekhyun’s braided pigtail before skating off, leaving Baekhyun feeling a little off balance, but not in a bad way.

Maybe it was a prolonged apology for knocking her down that first day. Maybe Gwiboon had put her up to it. Maybe Kyungsoo felt guilty. Maybe Baekhyun was lacking enough that Kyungsoo wanted to be sure that she didn’t drag them all down. Baekhyun really couldn’t figure it out, but she didn’t mind the tips. And any interaction with Kyungsoo was an adventure.

By the time their next bout rolled around, Baekhyun was a significantly better skater, but that didn’t mean that she got to skate. Before any new members could participate in bouts, they had to pass a speed test- a test that neither she nor Jongin had taken yet. Gwiboon and Minseok had told them that they weren’t ready yet, and Baekhyun respected that, even if she was itching to get out there.

But even if they weren’t skating, she and Jongin still got to attend the bout, decked out in the Mad Mademoiselles’ colors to support their teammates. They were in charge of selling raffle tickets and baked goods to raise money for team expenses.

Fortunately, the table they were stationed at had a good vantage point, so they were able to watch what was happening in the rink. Though they couldn’t yell and cheer like at least Baekhyun wanted to, otherwise they’d end up screaming in some poor bystander’s face when all they wanted was a cupcake.

“Baek,” Jongin said, nudging Baekhyun with her shoulder.

Baekhyun tore her eyes away from watching as Moonbyul successfully blocked the other team’s jammer so that Jongdae could get ahead and become the lead jammer.

“Hm?”

“You looked like you were about to lean all the way over the table and land in that plate of cookies,” Jongin told her with a chuckle.

“Oh,” Baekhyun stepped back, releasing the death grip she had on the edge of the flimsy, collapsible table. “It’s so exciting though! It’s so cool to see everyone skate for real. They’re awesome.”

“They are,” Jongin agreed, letting her own eyes focus on the girls circling the rink.

Baekhyun watched as the next jam started, Kyungsoo as the jammer and Minjung as the pivot.

The way Kyungsoo slipped through the other team’s blockers was pure artistry, and Baekhyun had to hold back a cheer as Kyungsoo was declared lead jammer, skating a lap around the rink and only slowing when faced with the other team’s pack again.

They weren’t taking chances this time, arms pressed tight together as Kyungsoo tried to worm her way through.

Kyungsoo darted to the side and tried to go around them, but they surged over to stop her. Trying to press by them, Baekhyun saw Kyungsoo’s elbow go out in frustration- attempting to force her way through- and almost immediately, she was called out by the ref.

Baekhyun could tell that Kyungsoo was muttering curses as she made her way over to the chairs set up for skaters who were out on penalty. That was one whole minute where the other team’s jammer was free to score points, while their team had no way of earning anything.

“Power jam!” she heard a bystander rooting for the other team call, and she swore under her breath.

“I think Gwiboon would curse you out for swearing at the bake sale table,” Jongin told her with a laugh, and Baekhyun snorted.

“So frustrating though,” she complained, watching the way Kyungsoo appeared to be fuming on the sidelines, gaze murderous as she watched the jam playout without her and fingers clenched tight in her lap, though Minjung and the other girls were doing a pretty good job of making sure the other team didn’t score too many points. “How many penalties does Kyungsoo have?”

“Three, I think,” Jongin told her, craning her neck when Kyungsoo got up and re-entered the rink- taking no prisoners as she gained as many points in the remaining thirty seconds as she could.

“Geez,” Baekhyun said, watching the encouraging pat on the back Chanyeol gave to Kyungsoo as she skated off the rink at the end of the jam. “We’re not even halfway through the bout yet.”

A girl wanting to buy a cookie ended their conversation, but it did not stop Kyungsoo’s penalty streak.

By the time they were ten minutes into the second half, Kyungsoo had amassed five penalties- looking more frustrated every time she had to skate the perimeter of the rink to get to the penalty box.

There were six minutes left in the bout when Kyungsoo got her seventh penalty and was kicked out of the bout altogether. If Kyungsoo had seemed mad before, she looked about ready to spit fire right then as she was directed straight off the rink.

“Shit,” Jongin muttered since there was no one wanting baked goods at that time.

“She can’t even stay on the sidelines? She has to leave?” Baekhyun marveled, watching as Kyungsoo angrily sat down on a chair outside of the half wall that separated the rink from the rest of the establishment.

“Guess not,” Jongin said, gaze shifting back to the rink where they were setting up for another jam.

Baekhyun’s eyes were on Kyungsoo, though, watching as she untied her skates with frustrated movements before kicking them off altogether.

“Be right back,” Baekhyun said, slipping out from behind the table before Jongin could reply.

With careful steps, Baekhyun approached Kyungsoo, not entirely sure what she was going to say or do.

“Hey,” she said when she was two feet away, almost startled by the force with which Kyungsoo’s head snapped up. “Uh...it sucks that-”

“Not fucking now,” Kyungsoo practically growled, and Baekhyun took an instinctive step back, feeling a little like she’d been slapped.

Okay, so now wasn’t a good time.

“Sorry,” Baekhyun said quietly, backing away.

Kyungsoo didn’t even look up, ripping off her knee pads and dropping them angrily on the ground.

“That was a mistake,” Baekhyun announced when she got back to stand beside Jongin.

“Well, I could have told you that,” Jongin said, and Baekhyun pretended to elbow her, startling a laugh out of the younger girl.

The Mad Mademoiselles won by an eighteen point margin, but Kyungsoo was not pleased.

 

\---

 

Kyungsoo apologized for snapping at Baekhyun at the beginning of their next practice, looking a bit sheepish. Baekhyun waved it off- she clearly shouldn’t have tried to talk to Kyungsoo when Kyungsoo had been so frustrated. She was just glad that Kyungsoo wasn’t going to hold her poor judgment against her.

And just like always, Kyungsoo gave Baekhyun advice during their break- something Baekhyun had come to look forward to.

Despite Kyungsoo’s somewhat prickly personality, Baekhyun found that she really liked being around her (pissed off, kicked out of a bout Kyungsoo, notwithstanding). When she wasn’t annoyed, her eyes had a certain sparkle to them. And when she legitimately smiled, it was a sight to behold.

Over the course of Baekhyun’s time on the team, Baekhyun had watched the way that Kyungsoo interacted with their other team members, and she wasn’t really as terrifying as Baekhyun had maybe once thought.

When she wasn’t seriously practicing or giving Baekhyun advice, Baekhyun had seen her in what looked like in depth discussions with Minseok, or exchanging pleasantries with Jongdae, or laughing and making half-hearted swipes in Chanyeol’s direction.

Baekhyun found herself wanting to have a more easy relationship with Kyungsoo- wanted to be able to go up to her and tell her about the weird trucker she’d seen on her way there, or ask her how her weekend had been.

She wondered if they could be considered friends. Maybe not yet, but she hoped they could be soon.

At their next practice, Baekhyun sidled up to Chanyeol while she was talking to Kyungsoo, thinking that maybe it could be an in. Baekhyun had gotten quite comfortable around Chanyeol in the past few weeks, and Chanyeol seemed to be the only one on their team who wasn’t afraid of Kyungsoo. At least, she appeared to be the most willing to relax and joke around with her.

“Come on, Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol was whining, reaching out to grab onto Kyungsoo’s shoulder only for the shorter girl to push her hand away. “Come out to dinner with us just once.”

“It’s too late to get dinner after we finish practice,” Kyungsoo argued, voice monotone compared to Chanyeol’s lilting whines. “Some of us have work in the morning.”

“But _Soo_ ,” Chanyeol complained, shooting her puppy dog eyes that probably weren’t as effective as they could have been considering Chanyeol was a head taller than Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo remained unmoved.

“Yeah, you should come with us,” Baekhyun jumped in, trying her hand at a sad puppy look. At least she was Kyungsoo’s height.

“Stay out of this, snotface,” Kyungsoo said, lips quirking.

“ _Snotface_?” Baekhyun demanded, hands on her hips in affected shock and horror.

“Ha!” Gwiboon cackled on her way by. “Snotface. That’s good.”

“Rude,” Baekhyun pouted, but Gwiboon had already rolled over to Minjung, and Kyungsoo still seemed amused by her own joke.

Unsurprisingly, Chanyeol was unable to convince Kyungsoo to come with them to a late dinner, even with Baekhyun’s help, but Baekhyun couldn’t deny that she’d enjoyed getting to joke with Kyungsoo a bit more freely.

Even if it resulted in weird insults being thrown her way.

 

\---

 

“Snotface! You’re up!” Gwiboon called, cellphone in stopwatch mode in her hand.

It was the day that Baekhyun and Jongin would finally take their speed tests to see if they would be able to participate in the bout that weekend, and Baekhyun could already feel the adrenaline shooting down to her feet.

“Snotface?” Baekhyun complained, skating over to her starting position.

But despite her whining, she wasn’t really upset about being called Snotface. Bantering was a good way to shake off the nerves. Besides, she’d seen the way Kyungsoo’s lips had quirked slightly at Gwiboon’s use of her nickname. And Baekhyun really liked Kyungsoo’s quiet amusement- especially if she was part of the reason for it.

“Ready?” Gwiboon asked, and Baekhyun gave her a thumbs up.

At Gwiboon’s signal, Baekhyun took off- skating as quickly around the rink as she could.

She’d done a trial run once when she’d been early and had Chanyeol time her, so she was pretty confident she’d pass, but it was still nerve-wracking. She wanted to be able to skate in the bout that weekend so badly.

When she finished, skating past where she had to from sheer momentum, Baekhyun looked to Gwiboon, waiting for an answer.

“Well,” she said, “looks like we’re going to have to get someone else to sell cookies this weekend.”

Jongdae whooped, skating over to give Baekhyun a hug even as Baekhyun danced on her skates in victory.

“Jongin’s turn!” Gwiboon announced, and Baekhyun leaned against the wall as she watched her fellow newbie take her own speed test.

She wasn’t surprised when Jongin passed as well.

“You guys need derby names,” Chanyeol said excitedly when they’d all gathered to discuss logistics for that weekend.

“Yep,” Minseok confirmed. “You have to decide by the end of practice today, so we can have shirts with your names made for you guys by this weekend.”

“Please, god, choose a better name than Chanyeol’s,” Jongdae pleaded, and Chanyeol turned to pout at her.

“Chan Yolo is a great name,” she defended to the sound of a few groans in the background.

“ _Anything_ is better than _Win_ jung,” Gwiboon announced.

“It’s a good name because it’s accurate,” Minjung told her, and Gwiboon just rolled her eyes.

“Hey, so I’ve been meaning to ask,” Baekhyun said, seeing an opening. “Minseok, why is your name _Bun_ of Steel?”

“Because she’s a bun!” Lu Han interjected happily, scooting over to where Minseok was sitting to poke her in the cheek.

“That’s...unfortunately why,” Minseok sighed, allowing Lu Han to smush her cheeks with her palms like she was used to it. From what Baekhyun had seen over the last month or so, she probably _was_ used to Lu Han getting up in her space like that.

“Joonmyun helped me come up with mine,” Lu Han announced, referring to her boyfriend. “He works in a museum, so he came up with a bunch of names based on famous artists. But I liked Salvador Dolly the best.”

“I like Boa’s the best out of everyone’s,” Hwasa told them. “No offense to all the rest of you, of course. Boa ConstrictHer is just awesome, though.”

Boa beamed, graciously thanking her.

“We can help if you guys need ideas,” Moonbyul told Baekhyun and Jongin, adjusting her backwards snapback.

Jongin looked relieved.

“I already have mine, don’t I?” Baekhyun asked, receiving a lot of confused looks in response. “It seems like I’ve acquired a nickname…”

“Snotface?” Gwiboon exclaimed disbelievingly before she cackled. “I am 100 percent in support of this.”

“Aw come on,” Minjung scowled. “That is way worse than Winjung.”

“No, it’s a million times better,” Gwiboon argued, still laughing.

Baekhyun grinned, looking over at Kyungsoo and catching her eye.

Kyungsoo raised her brows and huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking her head as she smiled at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun was pleased. And Snotface _was_ a pretty cute nickname. Well, she’d make it cute, anyway.

 

\---

 

The bout was in the rink they always practiced in, their home turf. Baekhyun reminded herself of that over and over as she touched up her eyeliner in the mirror in their makeshift locker room.

For as excited as she was to skate in her first bout, her nerves were starting to get the better of her.

Having been in choir all through school, Baekhyun had never once had stage fright, so it wasn’t that. She was just so new to this. It would be awful if she made enough mistakes to cost them a victory. She was afraid that Gwiboon and Minseok were going to regret letting her onto the team.

Dropping her eyeliner into her makeup bag and zipping it closed, Baekhyun tried to force herself to breathe deeply. It was a good thing she’d finished her makeup already. Her hands were really starting to shake and it wouldn’t do to have pink lipstick all over her face.

“Ready?” Jongdae asked excitedly, skating up to her- electric orange eyeshadow on her lids to go with her derby name, Orange CrusHer.

“Uh, maybe?” Baekhyun said, voice almost squeaking.

“Don’t be nervous!” Jongdae exclaimed, smacking her on the back. “You’ll do great!”

Baekhyun wasn’t so sure. She didn’t think she’d be capable of doing anything well when she was shaking so badly.

Minseok calling Jongdae over had Jongdae skating away and leaving Baekhyun standing by herself again. She didn’t know if that was better or worse.

She’d passed her speed test, she reminded herself. She had been feeling good during practices. There was no reason she should be _this_ nervous.

“Time to head out to the rink to warm-up!” Gwiboon called, and Baekhyun blew out a breath.

She could do this. She could absolutely do this. She could-

A hand on her upper arm stopped her from following the other girls out to the rink.

“Why are you nervous?” Kyungsoo asked, matter of fact.

Baekhyun let out a shaky laugh. “Ha! I dunno. I just. I haven’t played a sport since I played t-ball when I was really little. I don’t want to mess anything up for you guys.”

Kyungsoo shot her an unimpressed look, though it looked remarkably similar to her resting face.

“You wouldn’t be skating in this bout if you were likely to screw things up for the team,” Kyungsoo pointed out reasonably. “And I hate to be a ball buster, but if you _do_ mess up for some reason, it wouldn’t be hard for the other girls to make up for it.”

“So, you’re saying nothing I do even makes a difference,” Baekhyun reiterated, not offended, and maybe even a little relieved?

“No, I’m not saying that,” Kyungsoo said, lips quirked. “I’m just saying that you _probably_ aren’t going to make or break us out there.”

“Gee, thanks,” Baekhyun scoffed, unable to stop the laugh that bubbled up.

Kyungsoo was right. She was a part of a team. Hopefully, she’d be able to aid them in winning this bout, but if she made a few mistakes, they’d be able to cover for her.

Shrugging, Kyungsoo chuckled. “I’m just being realistic.”

“I know,” Baekhyun said, serious now. “ _Actually_ thank you.”

Kyungsoo smiled, and Baekhyun felt her heart give a little flutter that had nothing to do with nerves.

“Just block with your butt,” Kyungsoo reminded her, a teasing smile on her face. “You’ll be fine.”

Before Baekhyun could say thank you again or make a joke to shake off the butterflies in her stomach that were replacing the angry wasps from before, Kyungsoo had leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips- soft and chaste and quick.

Baekhyun was gaping when Kyungsoo pulled back.

“My lipstick,” she managed. “It’s…” Baekhyun gestured to Kyungsoo’s mouth where she could see a bit of pink that had transferred.

Kyungsoo wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and raised her eyebrows.

Baekhyun nodded.

“Warm-ups,” Kyungsoo said, turning to leave and motioning for Baekhyun to come with her. “Don’t want to make Gwiboon start yelling.”

In a haze, Baekhyun followed- lips tingling and heart pounding, but not because of her anxiety about skating.

She wasn’t even thinking about that anymore.

 

\---

 

The bout was just like a practice and completely different all at once.

After the first couple of minutes, Baekhyun was able to tune out the cheering and yelling of the audience, so that wasn’t even a factor. She and her teammates skated just like they’d practiced, the sound of rolling on wood familiar and comforting at that point. But there were just so many people there. Normally, it was just fourteen of them, but now it was fourteen of them, plus fifteen girls from the other team, plus the refs. Not to mention the announcers and scorekeepers, and everyone else who made sure that everything happened as it should.

Having jammers she didn’t know try to break between her and Hwasa took some getting used to. Instead of Jongdae, it was some girl with the derby name _Hyericles_ shouldering her way through their pack.

But it felt good to skate and to work together with her team to attempt to pull off all of the things they’d practiced.

Seeing Jongdae break through and become lead jammer was even more exciting, and watching Gwiboon block the other team’s jammer for over half the track single-handedly was even more impressive.

Adrenaline was running through Baekhyun’s veins by the time the first half was over, but the interim during which they weren’t skating gave her time to reflect on what had happened right before the bout started.

Part of her really wanted to find Kyungsoo and talk to her about it, but she remembered what had happened the last time she’d talked to Kyungsoo during a bout. Sure, she only had two penalties this time (Baekhyun had one), but she didn’t think she wanted to take her chances, especially if it meant making Kyungsoo lose focus when they still had to skate the second half.

So, Baekhyun touched up her eyeliner, reapplied her hot pink lipstick, and tried to push the kiss from her mind for the time being.

 

\---

 

The first jam in the second half was extremely eventful, but in the wrong way.

Minjung was the pivot, and on the second round of the rink by the other team’s jammer, Minjung’s skate got tangled with hers and they both went down. Falling in roller derby was just as common as being upright, it seemed at times (and Baekhyun had a collection of bruises to prove it), but when Minjung tumbled, she landed wrong, and didn’t immediately spring back up like she always did.

Baekhyun was on the edge of her seat on the sidelines as the skaters respectfully left the rink so the medics could come in to see what had happened.

Belatedly, Baekhyun sunk down onto one knee when she saw all of the other girls, as well as the refs, in that position. In her worry, she’d forgotten that she was supposed to kneel too since she’d just been a bystander previously.

Normally, when a girl was down, it was dead silent as the medics examined them, everyone in the building seemingly holding their breath as they waited to see if she was okay, but Baekhyun heard Minseok hissing to Gwiboon to stay where she was- a hand clenched firmly around her bicep.

Gwiboon didn’t seem happy with Minseok’s insistence, but she stayed put, craning her neck to try to see what was going on. Her teeth were clamped down tight on her lower lip and her brows were drawn in worry. Baekhyun had never seen Gwiboon like that.

Maybe Chanyeol was onto something.

It was only another minute before the medics were helping Minjung up and leading her over to a chair out of the way of the skaters for them to see to her injuries more.

Baekhyun clapped along with everyone else, watching as Minjung tried to smooth her features from pinching in pain, even as she was cradled her right arm to her chest. If Minjung was going to sit out even a couple of jams voluntarily, she must really have been hurt.

The moment everyone rose, Gwiboon was skating over to Minjung and hovering around her as the medic attempted to examine her wrist. Baekhyun wanted to see what was wrong, but Minseok told her to block, so she’d just have to wait until the jam was over to find out if Minjung was okay.

It turned out that Minjung had sprained her wrist, and that both Minjung _and_ the medic had had to shoo Gwiboon away to finish the rest of the bout.

“We’re going to win for Minjung,” Gwiboon had solemnly announced when she passed along the information about Minjung’s sprain.

Baekhyun wanted to point out that Minjung wasn’t _dead_ , but knew better than to argue with Gwiboon.

Fortunately, they ended up winning by a solid twenty-two points with Minjung cheering from the sidelines.

Baekhyun was ecstatic to have won her first bout, but she really wished that Minjung hadn’t gotten hurt. The victory was bittersweet.

Lu Han was throwing the afterparty, but Minjung begged out, and Gwiboon insisted that she was going to go with Minjung to make sure she was okay despite Minjung’s insistence that she was _fine_.

Climbing into the backseat of Jongdae’s car, Baekhyun wondered if she’d get a chance to talk to Kyungsoo at the afterparty. Satan hadn’t gotten kicked out of the bout that time, so she should be in a good mood, especially since they’d won.

Baekhyun wondered if she’d get to kiss her again.

She really, really hoped she would.

 

\---

 

"So, tell me about the new boy," Baekhyun pressed, leaning into Jongdae.

 

Jongdae wasn't drinking since she was the designated driver, but Baekhyun was a few vodka shots in.

Jongdae huffed at her. "He's no one. Just a guy."

"No one? No one whom you've been on three dates with?"

Jongdae sighed, squirming under Baekhyun's scrutiny. "It's early yet," she said. "I don't want to make it a big thing."

"Speaking of big..."

"Oh my god! Baek!" Jongdae squawked, shoving Baekhyun's shoulder. "We've only been on three dates!"

Baekhyun shrugged unrepentantly. "Just thought you might have checked out the equipment."

Jongdae rolled her eyes.

Just then, Baekhyun saw Kyungsoo head to the bathroom out of the corner of her eye. So far, she hadn't had the opportunity to get Kyungsoo alone. This was her chance.

"Hafta pee," Baekhyun abruptly announced. "Be back."

Kyungsoo was already in the bathroom by the time Baekhyun got there, so she waited outside the closed door for Kyungsoo to reappear.

"Snotface," Kyungsoo greeted when she exited the bathroom- smile coming easier since she'd been drinking. "Waiting for the bathroom?"

Baekhyun shook her head. "Waiting for you."

Kyungsoo looked surprised for a moment before she was grinning again- something feral in her smile this time.

"Oh?" she asked, her entire demeanor more relaxed than it usually was.

Baekhyun had been all ready with some flirty line, but Kyungsoo like this, receptive and seemingly _hitting on her_ , had Baekhyun forgetting what she was going to say entirely.

Instead, she found herself staring at Kyungsoo's plush lips and thinking about the fact that they'd unexpectedly ended up pressed to hers earlier that day.

Before she could gather herself, Kyungsoo grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into an empty room across from the bathroom.

It must have been Lu Han's bedroom, Baekhyun thought, as Kyungsoo closed the door and pushed Baekhyun against it- diving in to kiss her like she'd been thinking about it since that afternoon, maybe even before that. Baekhyun certainly had.

Kyungsoo was leaning into her, no space between them, as they kissed- lips pressing and sliding, dry and warm, before Kyungsoo's tongue was breaching the seam of her lips to curl with her own.

Baekhyun could taste the whisky in Kyungsoo's mouth, and it wasn't exactly pleasant mixed with the vodka she could still taste on her own tongue, but she pulled Kyungsoo forward by the back of her neck to lick even further into her mouth.

Her blood was thrumming loudly in her ears and all she could think of was more- unable to get physically closer to Kyungsoo, but trying anyway.

"Want you," Baekhyun gasped against Kyungsoo's spit slick lips, shivering when Kyungsoo's fingers dug hard into her waist.

Kyungsoo hummed against her mouth, the sound rich and velvety and just as heady as the feel of Kyungsoo's fingers sneaking up her skirt to drag over the front of her panties.

"You want it?" Kyungsoo asked, pressing against Baekhyun's clit through the damp fabric and making her hiss.

"Yes," Baekhyun gasped, uncaring of the fact that they were still up against the door in Lu Han's bedroom. Someone could come knocking any minute. Hell, the whole team might have been listening, but Baekhyun didn't care. All she wanted was Kyungsoo's touch- driving her higher, making her come.

As she slid her hand past the waistband of Baekhyun's panties, her eyes were steady on Baekhyun's face like every breath she took was of the utmost importance.

Baekhyun was torn between flushing under Kyungsoo's gaze and bucking her hips toward her featherlight touch.

 

Even as Baekhyun strained forward for another kiss, Kyungsoo kept herself out of reach so she could keep watching Baekhyun as she touched her. Two could play that game.

Reaching out, Baekhyun popped the button on Kyungsoo’s jean shorts, sliding the zipper down, and reaching in to feel the elastic edge of her underwear.

“Can I?” she breathed, fiddling with the little satin bow sewn there and picturing Kyungsoo in all kinds of cute, girly lingerie sets.

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yeah.”

Putting her hand inside Kyungsoo’s underwear was not something Baekhyun ever thought she’d be doing, but she was certainly not complaining.

Kyungsoo was wet against her fingers, and Baekhyun felt herself throb at the knowledge that Kyungsoo was enjoying this just as much as she was.

“ _Oooh_ ,” Baekhyun gasped, trailing off into a moan as Kyungsoo’s pressure against her clit increased.

But she didn’t let that deter her from doing her best to have Kyungsoo falling to pieces as well.

Feeling Kyungsoo’s knees knock into hers as she stroked her fingers through her wetness had Baekhyun smirking. Of course, Kyungsoo was quick to wipe that smirk off her face with a strategic hand skating beneath her shirt and under her bra, fingers gently pinching her nipple, and causing Baekhyun’s head to knock against the wood of the door.

“ _Shh_ ,” Kyungsoo had to audacity to chuckle, pressing a firm kiss to Baekhyun’s mouth before pulling back again to focus on the task at hand.

Baekhyun had a momentary fantasy of getting Kyungsoo to lose it before she did, but she was quickly brought back to reality when Kyungsoo slid a finger inside of her and had Baekhyun choking on a moan.

A second finger almost immediately joined the first, and Baekhyun felt like the wind had been knocked out of her when the heel of Kyungsoo’s hand pressed tight against her clit.

“Gonna come for me soon?” Kyungsoo asked, gaze just as intense as it had been before, but her voice was breathy- obviously not as unaffected as she was trying to appear- so Baekhyun counted that as a win.

Baekhyun whined in response, wishing she had a snappy comeback, but unable to even try to think of one when Kyungsoo’s touches were pushing her closer and closer to release.

Tapping out a rhythm against Kyungsoo’s clit, Baekhyun watched through lidded eyes as Kyungsoo’s brows pinched, teeth clamping down onto her puffy lower lip.

“Gonna make you come, too,” Baekhyun huffed out, trying not to tip over the edge before she could appreciate the situation a little longer. And show Kyungsoo that she wasn’t some two pump chump. Or whatever the female equivalent was.

Kyungsoo nodded, eyes closing briefly as Baekhyun began swiping her middle finger back and forth over her swollen clit.

Baekhyun’s end was nearing, and she was losing the will to hold it back. Breath coming in staccato pants, Baekhyun felt the pleasure rising up, up, up until she inhaled sharply and came so hard against Kyungsoo’s fingers that she could hear the door she was leaning against rattling with the way she was trembling.

Taking a minute to recover, Baekhyun felt Kyungsoo pulsing against her fingertips- body instinctively trying to strain toward her touch to find the release it needed.

Kyungsoo gasped as Baekhyun resumed her ministrations, lower lip turning white she was biting down so hard.

With a muffled cry and a muscle spasm that had Kyungsoo tipping forward to brace herself against Baekhyun’s body, face buried in her neck, she reached her peak- clit twitching and release dripping over Baekhyun’s fingers.

“ _Fuck_ ”, Kyungsoo muttered against Baekhyun’s shoulder, fingers digging not Baekhyun’s biceps hard enough to bruise. “I didn’t bring a change of underwear.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help the laugh that escaped at that, even though she could feel how wet Kyungsoo’s panties were when she pulled her hand out.

“You could just take them off?” she suggested, quite liking the idea of Kyungsoo having nothing on underneath her high waisted shorts.

Kyungsoo groaned, but Baekhyun wasn’t sure whether it was in agreement or dissent.

“We should probably get out of Lu Han’s bedroom before Lu Han decides she needs to show off her manga collection or something,” Kyungsoo said, finally standing up straight.

Baekhyun kind of missed her warmth.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom and try to get cleaned up,” Kyungsoo told her, shifting in place and grimacing, presumably from the feeling of her soaked underwear against her skin. “When you go back out there, try to look casual.”

Baekhyun nodded, wiping her fingers off on her skirt and wondering if anyone would notice the smell of pussy on her.

Kyungsoo looked at Baekhyun like she was considering her before she stepped out, lips quirking just slightly, and not even giving Baekhyun an opportunity to smile back before she was slipping back into the hall and leaving Baekhyun in Lu Han’s bedroom alone.

 

\---

 

Baekhyun took a steadying breath as she locked her car and headed into the roller rink.

She hadn’t had an opportunity to get Kyungsoo alone again at the party, so she had no idea what Kyungsoo thought of the fact that they’d hooked up. Did she consider it a drunken mistake? A one off? The start of something?

Kyungsoo’s number, along with the contact information for all of the girls on the team, was listed in the information Baekhyun had gotten when she’d made the team. But since Kyungsoo hadn’t ever made any indication that she wanted Baekhyun to contact her, she felt weird texting her to talk about things not related to the team. She’d been tempted- had sat with the contact sheet in one hand and her phone in the other, but she’d resisted, feeling too much like a creepy pest.

Besides, what would she say in a text anyway? _Hey, it’s Snotface. I was just wondering if you perhaps wanted to make what happened Saturday after the bout a regular thing. Also want to get dinner?_

She supposed she _could_ say something like that, but it was very possible that Kyungsoo had no interest in a repeat performance. Baekhyun didn’t even know if she dated girls. Though based on what had happened on Saturday, Baekhyun was pretty confident that Kyungsoo had some experience getting girls off.

Still. Did Kyungsoo even date people? Like _date_ date? And if so, would she have the patience to date Baekhyun? She knew that she could be kind of a handful, and Kyungsoo wasn’t exactly known for her large supply of patience. Though she _had_ gone out of her way to talk to Baekhyun ever since she’d knocked the wind out of her.

 _What a start_ , Baekhyun thought wryly.

But she couldn’t just stand in the parking lot to hem and haw all day about what Kyungsoo’s reaction might be to her bringing up Saturday night.

Hopefully, she could corner Kyungsoo during their break and ask her if she wanted to get dinner with her after practice.

“Have you talked to her?” Jongdae asked the second Baekhyun set her bag down on one of the benches.

“No, and shush!” Baekhyun hissed. “I’m gonna try to talk to her today.”

When she’d been unable to stop thinking about what had happened, pacing around her apartment on Sunday afternoon and wondering what the fuck she was supposed to expect come Tuesday, Baekhyun had texted Jongdae, whose response had been _holy shit you hooked up with satan?!?!?_

“You should have just texted her,” Jongdae said. “I mean, _that’s_ what the contact sheet is for.”

“ _That’s_ what it’s for?” Baekhyun asked, arching a brow. “Contacting your teammate after you’ve had drunk sex with them? Perfect. Glad Gwiboon thought this all through,” she said sarcastically.

“It’s Gwiboon,” Jongdae replied. “She probably _did_ think it all through.”

Baekhyun huffed. “Whatever. I still feel weird about it. I’ll just talk to her today. I’m much better in person, anyway. At least she might be won over by my charming personality this way.”

Jongdae let out a bark of laughter before sobering. “Oh. You’re serious.”

“Fuck you,” Baekhyun replied, but she was too busy watching Kyungsoo lace up her skates five benches down, dark ponytail falling over her shoulder and full lips pursed in concentration, to put any real heat behind her words.

Minseok called for practice to start before Baekhyun could even think about trying to strike up a conversation with Kyungsoo, so Baekhyun forced herself to focus on skating and not on whether or not Kyungsoo was looking in her direction more or less than usual.

During their break. She’d talk to her during their break.

Except…

“ _Fuck_ ,” Baekhyun cursed as she plummeted toward the floor.

She’d just been trying to block Kyungsoo, but their skates had somehow gotten tangled and the forward momentum had taken them both down.

Kyungsoo groaned from where she was trapped beneath Baekhyun, and Baekhyun realized that Kyungsoo’s body was what had cushioned her own fall.

“Fuck are you okay?” Baekhyun asked, pushing herself up and shifting so her weight was on her knees on either side of Kyungsoo instead of directly on her.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said, rotating her wrist and seeming to decide that it was okay. “Are you? Are you gonna move?”

As it was, Baekhyun was still basically on top of Kyungsoo, and while she’d considered moving, being this close for the first time after the party had Baekhyun realizing just how much she _wanted_ to be close to Kyungsoo.

“Hey, since we’re both here,” Baekhyun started, ignoring the fact that conversation starters probably weren’t necessary considering she was nearly sitting on Kyungsoo, and also that the middle of practice on the floor wasn’t the time to be having conversations at all, “I wanted to ask if you wanted to get a late dinner or a snack or something after practice today.”

Baekhyun watched Kyungsoo’s eyes focus on something over her shoulder and she had to assume that the rest of the team was watching them, but she didn’t care. She had goals, and she was on top of them. Or something like that.

“Now really isn’t the time,” Kyungsoo said on a sigh, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose and managing to look completely fed up despite being sprawled on the floor.

“Okay, but do you want to?” Baekhyun pressed, still not moving- just shifting so her knees pads slid a little on the floor. “We didn’t get to talk about Saturday, and I don’t really know how you feel about all that, but I’m gonna go ahead and tell you that I feel good about it. And I’d like for it not to be a one time thing? But if you want it to be, I’ll live. And I still want to go to dinner with you after practice. So? Do you want to?”

Kyungsoo blinked at her, unimpressed.

“What happened on Saturday?” Baekhyun heard Gwiboon ask from behind them, but she opted to ignore her for the time being. The girl underneath her was scarier, and also more of a priority at the moment.

Sighing again, Kyungsoo acquiesced. “Okay, fine. Yes. Dinner.”

“Like a date or…”

Kyungsoo looked at her like she’d surpassed any level of crazy that Kyungsoo had predicted.

“If I say yes, will you let me get up?” she asked.

“I’ll get up if you say no, too,” Baekhyun informed her. “I’m just wondering.”

Kyungsoo laughed disbelievingly, and Baekhyun felt a strong urge to lean over and kiss her.

“Okay, yes. A date.”

“Don’t just say that so I’ll shut up,” Baekhyun warned, even as she finally climbed off of Kyungsoo and got to her feet.

“I’m not,” Kyungsoo assured her, getting up as well. “But that would be a bonus.”

Baekhyun gasped in mock-outrage before she grinned and glided the two feet over to Kyungsoo to press a quick kiss to her lips.

Kyungsoo’s gaze was murderous. Probably didn’t want Baekhyun ruining her reputation.

“So, back to practice?” Baekhyun proposed, turning to look at her teammates who were all staring at her in varying degrees of shock.

“Yeah,” Minseok said, looking gobsmacked. “Back to practice.”

“Snotface and Satan sitting in a tree,” Joy sang as they got into position for a new jam. “K-I-S-”

“I will end you,” Kyungsoo growled. “And anyone else who dares coo at me.”

Joy stopped singing, but didn’t seem particularly scared- giggling quietly behind her hand as she took her place next to Seulgi.

Baekhyun grinned as she sat down on a folding chair, sitting this jam out as per Gwiboon’s orders since she’d just taken a tumble.

“Don’t kiss me at practice,” Kyungsoo hissed, also not skating.

“How about afterwards? At dinner?” Baekhyun asked hopefully.

Kyungsoo heaved a big sigh and blinked at her. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

Baekhyun smiled beatifically at Kyungsoo, not missing the way Kyungsoo’s lips were trying to pull up in a smile despite her determination to stay firm.

“Probably.”

**Author's Note:**

> A million thanks to Jen for betaing last minute for me ♥♥♥  
> Title from Fifth Harmony's _I'm In Love With a Monster_.


End file.
